


Crossed Fates

by kingcobrakai1972



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Kara Danvers/Mon-El - Freeform, KaraMel, Past Kara Danvers/Mon-El, Slow burn bullshit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-03-23 18:11:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13793307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kingcobrakai1972/pseuds/kingcobrakai1972
Summary: (Karamel/Semi-AU) Kara continues to teach Mon-El the ins and outs of life on Earth as she struggles to come to terms with what it might mean for her to fall in love with a Daxamite.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, although I think Karamel is pretty fuckin cute, I've always kind of wondered how their relationship could have been cuter if the show had taken the time to slow down on the whole 'teaching Mon-El how to Earth' storyline. This particular story might have some rearrangements of the timeline and plots just for my own fun/convenience, but for the most part it's just going to be about Mon-El and Kara developing a friendship and then eventually falling in love. (Please also be aware I'm usually one to write explicit smut scenes, so.. Take it or leave it). Thanks for the read.

"Hell-ooo? Earth to Kara," Winn is saying impatiently, waving a hand in front of his best friend's face.

She's looking past him, fixated on Mon-El as he leans back in his office chair and plays with an action figure he's swiped off of Winn's desk. He's been doing a decent job, she realizes, posing as Mike. He'd only jumped at the sound of phones ringing twice now since the start of the week.  _"They're so much like the alarms they had on Daxam to signal for the servants," he'd said, half-amused. "Kind of takes me back to the bad old days, you know?"_

"What? Uhhh— sorry," Kara says sheepishly, clearing her throat. "You were saying something?" She refocuses her attention to Winn, who is fixing her with raised dark brows.

"Um, yes. Game night? Are we still doing that? 'Cuz I know this situation with James and the Guardian just came to the light and things are kind of weird right now with the Super friends, but—"

"Of course they're weird," Kara interjects, shooting him her best incredulous look. "Do you think I  _wanted_ to find out my two best friends are sneaking around behind my back playing vigilante? You didn't just break my trust, you broke the D.E.O.'s." She lowers her voice at the last part, glancing around CatCo warily as she utters the secret organization's name. "And you're being reckless."

"Reckless?" Winn asks, touching his chest. "You think  _I'm_ being reckless, and you throw yourself in front of a full-throttle alien-shaped train on the daily?"

Kara crinkles her brow, looking down at the paperwork on her desk irritably. "It's not a joke, Winn. I have powers,  _you_ don't. One wrong move or trigger pulled too quickly and you  _die_."

Just as Winn opens his mouth to interject, the two hear a crashing noise and immediately turn their attention to Mon-El's desk.

The Daxamite is scrambling to pick up the fallen papers and books scattered across the floor, and Winn's action figure lies a few feet away with an oddly twisted arm. "Look, I was trying to move his hand, and then suddenly he was vaulting through the air and just—"

"Um, excuse me," Winn objects, snatching the figure from the ground and dusting it off. "This is my prized special edition Superman action figure, newly-improved  _and_ with an up-to-date supersuit. If you put your grubby little fingers on it again, you owe me twenty dollars."

Kara almost isn't surprised but is still a bit weirded out. She hadn't found herself paying much attention to his action figures before, but now he mentions it, it definitely looks a lot like Kal-El.

"You have a  _toy_ of my cousin?" she teases, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Cool, Winn. Very cool."

"I hope you're serious," he says, righting Superman's arm with a small tweak to the figure. He perches it back in its spot next to his keyboard. "Because when the Supergirl figures roll out, you can bet I'm pre-ordering one of those puppies."

"Puppies?" Mon-El asks, looking flustered. His glasses are askew from picking up the fallen contents of his desk. "To my understanding, puppies are the young of this household animal humans call dogs, right?"

Unlike Kara and Winn, who had been speaking in lower tones for the duration of the exchange so far, Mon-El doesn't exert the same kind of volume control. Winn looks at him uneasily, leaning on his desk and glancing around to see if anyone in the office is watching. "Keep it down, man. Do you really want people to hear that Mike doesn't know what a puppy is?"

"Guys," Kara interrupts. "We'll do the game night. Just come to my place after work, alright? But take care of your stuff before Miss Grant has our heads."

Winn breaks a small smile, looking pleased. "You won't regret this, Kara. Super friends are the best friends."

* * *

Mon-El is the first person to arrive for game night, and Kara is slightly amused to see how nervous he looks. "Is this— is this what the Earth tradition for courting is?" he asks as she holds the door open for him to step into her apartment.

"W-what? No, I— what do you mean courting?" Kara stutters, finding herself at a sudden loss for the English language. She can feel the tops of her ears turning pink, and it's only more mortifying.

Mon-El is looking at her, baffled, with his hands fiddling in his pockets. "Courting? Courting friendships with others? Laughter, drinks—"

A mixture of relief and something she thinks might be mild disappointment settles in her stomach with a flutter. "O-oh," she stutters, regaining composure. "Uh, yeah, it's like that. A bunch of friends, gathered in one place, playing board games or watching movies—"

A knock at the door interrupts them, and Kara takes it as a welcome interruption. When she moves to get it, she's soon being enveloped by the familiar sandalwood-and-soap scent of Alex.

"Sorry we're late. Late day at the D.E.O.," the older Danvers sister is saying, releasing her. Maggie Sawyer is just behind her, beaming a greeting smile in Kara's direction.

"No, no, it's fine, glad you guys could make it," Kara says agreeably, leading them from the foyer to the living room. "Sit down, sit down. I'll get the drinks. You guys want to play Pictionary?"

"Probably the best idea," Maggie grins, taking a spot on the couch next to Alex. "The last time we played Monopoly together it almost split the Danvers family in two."

"Split your family in two? Is this Monopoly serious?" Mon-El asks from the other end of the couch. "Is it like death-match in the pit serious, or—"

"No, no, no, no one's dying," Kara rushes, but cracks a grin when she meets Alex's eyes and witnesses her baffled expression. "Monopoly is a classic, uh, board game on Earth. You buy and trade properties and all of this other stuff, but it's make-believe. None of the things that happen in board games are  _real_. Live entertainment is less of a thing here." She feels for all of the world that she's talking to a child sometimes when educating Mon-El on Earthly customs, but it's somehow almost a bit endearing and comforting. She'd always wondered what it might be like if she'd fulfilled her duty to watch over Kal-El like she had originally been intended to.

"Ah," Mon-El nods knowingly. "Trading properties. Incredible. Now, what is this 'Pictionary' you mentioned?"

Alex and Maggie are exchanging amused looks when Kara goes to answer the next knock on the door.

"Heyy, game night," Winn rushes excitedly, a smiling James just behind him as he crosses the threshold. "What's it gonna be this time? I kind of forgot Monopoly, so—"

"Pictionary," Kara interjects, giving James a tentative smile over Winn's shoulder. Things had been tense between the two since the revelation of James as Guardian, and part of her  _did_ want to get things back on track between them, even if they were a bit awkward.

"Riiight," Winn says, and seemingly taking a hit, makes his way over to the group in the living room.

It leaves Kara and James in an awkward silence for a few moments, but she clears her throat. "So, uh— how have things been? Outside of the vigilante thing, and—"

"Vigilante? Really, Kara?" James sighs, squeezing the bridge of his nose. "Look, can we start over? I'd rather just spend some quality time with my friends tonight and leave the Guardian-Supergirl discussion for a later time."

Kara swallows, nodding. "Yeah. I'm sorry, James, I just— it's hard seeing you and Winn—" She pauses, looking down. "Forget it. Let's just get over there and play Pictionary like normal people and normal friends for the night, okay? I'm calling a temporary truce."

"Sure," he says finally, nodding. The smile he offers her is genuine. "That's... exactly what I want, actually."

"Guys, are you coming?" Mon-El calls, holding up the whiteboard the game includes excitedly. "I'm about to draw a hurricane."

"What? No, Mon-El, you don't  _say_ the thing you're drawing, that's the entire point," Winn says in exasperation, snatching the board from him.

Kara follows James over, grinning. She was starting to realize she had needed this; a normal, stress-free night with her family.

* * *

By about twelve in the morning, they're all reasonably drunk and on their last round of Pictionary.

"Why is that guy getting crushed by a lollipop?" Mon-El slurs, pointing to the board in Winn's hands. He's already attempted a guess at the drawing a whopping four times now. "That looks... like a bad time."

"It's— it's a set of weights," Winn finally says, exasperated. "Is it really that bad?"

"Alright, if you guys aren't taking it," Maggie pipes up, crossing her legs as she sits back in the couch. Alex's arm is snaked around her, snuggling the girl closer. "It's 'exercising'."

Kara bursts into a fit of giggles, pointing at Mon-El accusingly. " _You_ said it was a guy getting run over with a bike."

"Hey, in my defense, he can't draw work-out equipment to save his life apparently," the Daxamite protests, raising his eyebrows at Winn.

The night of Pictionary continues, until finally James is the first to leave and Alex and Maggie follow shortly thereafter. Winn helps Kara clean up the alcohol and board game pieces before he leaves, but Mon-El winds up passing out on the couch with his head tilted back in the cushion and his mouth hanging open.

After Winn finally exits and she closes the door behind him, she figures she should wake Mon-El up, but she doesn't. Instead, Kara pulls a spare blanket from the closet and carefully tucks it around him. He looks blissful and younger in his sleep, his hair ruffled and his handsome face relaxed. She finds herself in a zen place, curled up on the couch next to him after a long night with friends. She realizes maybe the time she's spent teaching him the ways of Earth has been something that's good for her too. It's the last thought she has as she, too, slips into a deep sleep.

* * *

When she wakes, she's unexpectedly entangled in Mon-El's limbs. Kara has a moment of confusion when she blinks the sleep out of her eyes, the events of the previous game night slowly coming back to her. She can feel the Daxamite's body warm against hers, spooning against her as his arms rest over her midsection. She flushes, instantly feeling hot all over. His breath is hot on her neck, and it's coming slowly enough that she determines he's still asleep.

When she starts to try and weasel her way out of his grasp, he rustles, groaning. His right hand moves up her side, brushing her hips and ribcage as he brings it up to rest on her shoulder and snuggle further into her. She feels electric where he's touched her, a heat filling her groin that she doesn't entirely expect. He  _is_ handsome, she realizes, thinking of his beautiful face.

But the two of them— together? A Daxamite and a Kryptonian?

The thought is sobering to say the least, and she pulls away from Mon-El to stand up. Clearing her throat, she brushes her hair out of her face as she watches him come to.

"Uh, morning sleepyhead," she greets, trying her best not to sound like she's feeling awkward in any way. He doesn't seem to realize they'd been embracing yet.

"Oh, god," he says finally, sitting up. "I fell asleep. Kara, I'm so sorry, I just—"

"Don't worry about it," she shakes her head, waving the concern away. "Just get out of here so I can get some real rest, alright? Game night got a little crazy. And long."

He leaves not long after. But when he goes, Kara finds herself remembering how he felt pressed against her back. The thought won't leave her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, fam. Sorry it's been so long since my first posting-- I've been struggling a lot with this one, and I know it's kinda short (I'm intending on making all my stuff longer here pretty soon), but I kinda just had to get it out and focus on Chapter 3. Thanks for sticking around, friends. <3

"Just try jumping over that one," Kara insists, nodding towards their new target. It's a local bank establishment, a good eight stories high up. The early morning sun is reflecting off of the glass, making it increasingly harder to look at without squinting. Under J'onn's suggestion, Kara had decided to utilize her Saturday to take Mon-El out and further test the extent of his powers under the yellow sun.

Mon-El swallows nervously, looking for all the world like he's stalling. "I know, it's just, uh— I might break it. Or myself. Which, like, no big deal right? Supergirl clean-up on isle three— just wipe up my splattered body from the cement. But it's still a little nerve-racking, so." He wipes his sweaty palms on his pants and hunches over, glancing up at her with nervous gray eyes.

"You're not going to break the building, Mon-El, just get it done," she assures in exasperation, waving a hand. "At least, uh, I don't think you will, so. We'll cross that bridge if we come to it." Her optimism is unfailing.

He grimaces. "Y'know, that is a  _fine_ estimate. Should we get Winn to ring up the scientific calculations on the probability of my body actually splatting on the pavement?"

"Don't be a drama queen," Kara teases, giving him a clap on the back. "Just count to three and jump. It'll be fiiine." The pedestrians passing them on the sidewalk are starting to shoot them weird looks. Kara realizes it probably does seem a little alarming for Supergirl to be ominously scoping out a building for so long with an accomplice that isn't even law enforcement.

"Fine, fiiine," he sighs, standing up straight. "If the building collapses, though, it's on you." He rubs his palms together, takes a deep breath and jumps.

Mon-El's leap is not unlike Kara taking flight; shooting upwards into the sky with just a push off of the ground. There are a few collective gasps from the pedestrians and Kara feels a small, proud smile beginning to tug at her lips.

"He's with me, everybody," she assures them, and suddenly realizes she isn't sure if it's because she wants them to remain calm at the sight of an alien leaping over a building or because a tiny part of her wants to brag that she's the one training him.

Launching up off of the ground after him, Kara flies into the air to try and catch sight of Mon-El. She gasps, covering her mouth as she spots the telltale gaping break in the glass on the eight floor.

Swooping inside, she finds the Daxamite curled on the floor, groaning and attempting to stand up. The office is weirdly quiet, and countless people in cubicles are peering over in shock at the alien that had just haphazardly smashed through the window.

"Oh, god," Kara exclaims under her breath, rushing to help him up. She dusts his long-sleeved shirt off and offers him a hand, which he quickly takes and stands to his feet.

"I'd say 'I told you so', but that entire exchange was less than two minutes ago, so," Mon-El points out, but still follows Kara as she moves to leave the building the way they'd come. "I'd even say it's a new record in the histories of all 'I told you so's."

"Hey, I mean.. people scrape their knees when they first ride bikes, so," Kara dismisses, shooting him a sheepish grin. "Sorry, everybody." She calls the apology over her shoulder with a single guilty backward glance.

As Kara flies out and Mon-El leaps, she can't help but wonder what the look on J'onn's face will be when she asks the D.E.O. to write yet another anonymous check to repair the window's damage.

* * *

"We're taking a break," Kara finally announces around two o'clock, gesturing for Mon-El to follow her as they make their way up the street. "You deserve one. J'onn is going to be really pleased you were so open to testing out your powers more."

Mon-El sneaks a glance at her, a smile working its way on his lips. "You think? I've always wondered if J'onn actually likes me. He always gets this weird, disapproving look on his face like he's caught me with my hand in the cookie jar or something."

"Has he?" Kara teases. She's still in her Supergirl suit, which warrants more than a few stares as they pass people up the sidewalk.

"Hey, Winn and I only snuck out to go drinking once. And then I, like.. broke that guy's arm on accident." He sighs, grinning. "Good times." The Daxamite shoots her an almost shy glance. "We should go drinking sometime- you and me. Y'know, you  _are_ allowed to let your hair down sometimes."

"I mean,  _yeah_ ," she says, but she's smiling. "Yeah, I, uh, mostly just drink wine to keep up appearances and make Alex feel like we're more normal. I think I've only ever been drunk before a handful of times." The thought strikes her as odd, but then again, there are at least a handful of normal Earth experiences Kara has neglected to have in abundance due to her Kryptonian strength. Like sex, she realizes. She bites down on the thought quickly.

"Really?" he asks, seemingly surprised. "That's, uh.. that's criminal, Kara. Someone who works as hard as you and you never just let it go and get wasted? Even the most 'workaholic' of people have to relax sometime."

Kara suddenly feels uncomfortable, just as she normally does when anyone brings to her attention how much of her personal life is sacrificed to the persona of Supergirl. "It's- It's nothing, Mon-El, really. I mean, if you want to try getting me out sometime, I won't stop you, but.. for now, let's just focus on today first. What kind of ice cream do you want?" The two of them had stopped walking in front of a frozen yogurt shop, and Kara fully intends on treating them both to soft serve.

"Um, ice cream?" he asks, grinning. "Supergirl is getting fro-yo? What's next? Superman plays mini-golf?" The look on his face clearly reads that he finds his own joke amusing, and Kara shakes her head in response, a smile tugging at her lips.

"What  _kind_ do you want?" she stresses, knocking him lightly on the shoulder.

"Fiiine. Uh, vanhilda? Vanilda? That one flavor extract humans talk up so much."

Kara looks at him in disbelief. " _Vanilla_?" She couldn't deny he was cute; he had ruffled hair and a very pretty smile. Watching him struggle to learn about Earth and its ways was endearing in a way she found hard to admit.  _Stop it_ , she thinks, mentally slapping herself on the wrist.  _He's a spoiled, selfish Daxamite. Not a completely innocent stray puppy._  But the thought is hard to shake, because he  _is_ a lot like a puppy, if she's being honest. He has an excited smile, a light-hearted nature and a tendency to get himself into unwarranted trouble.  _He's charming_ , she realizes reluctantly.

"Yeah, that one," Mon-El grins, with that innocent air. "Kara, you know so much. I mean,  _all_ of Krypton's culture  _and_ Earth's? Without getting 'em all mixed up?" He raises his brows at her like he's trying to get her to admit his point. "I mean, I've dabbled in the art of learning a planet from ground zero, and it is  _hard_. But you did it as a kid?"

Kara feels an inexplicable rush of embarrassment, rubbing a hand on the back of her neck to try and keep her hands busy. "Um, yeah, I— It's nothing, Mon-El. I mean, I had Eliza to help teach me, and a sister, so." Granted, her first go of it with Alex had been rough, to say the least, but after they'd grown to value each other, her time with the Danvers household had become what Kara saw as her second family. She gives him a smile, though, before she turns to dip inside the frozen yogurt shop.

"You're being modest," he calls after her, and she finds herself wondering if the tips of her ears feel warmer.

* * *

"You've, uh- you've got a little something," Mon-El says, gesturing to the corner of his own mouth in example. "A little vanilda ice cream, as it were."

The two aliens are sitting atop the CatCo building, looking out across National City with their feet dangling off the side of the ledge. Rush hour traffic is more than apparent, the blaring sound of horns and screeching brakes filling the air. Kara has always thought the sights and smells of National City are beautiful in their own industrial city type way, and it's something she appreciates even more from high up.

Kara attempts to wipe the ice cream off, but can tell from the look on Mon-El's face that she's missing sorely.

"No— it's, uh, a little to the left," he says, a smile tugging at his lips. When she wipes the back of her hand across her mouth once more, he still shakes his head.

Licking a thumb and reaching out, Mon-El brushes over the side of her mouth, gently wiping away the sticky sweetness. Kara realizes with a sudden prickling sensation that they're closer than they should be; just an inch and a half of space between their thighs. His face is close— close enough to kiss if he leaned in just a bit. Not that she'd do it if he did, she thinks hastily. Kiss a Daxamite..? His proximity unsettles her, though. She can see the details on his face, like the little scar between his eyebrows and the exact color of his irises.

"Uh, thanks," she says, but her voice sounds hoarse. Husky. She wants to kick herself.

His pretty gray eyes are flicking down towards her lips, a smile still soft on his features. "So you can pummel like five bad guys at once, but you can't eat ice cream without making a mess?" His thumb moves from her mouth to her cheek, stroking it gently as he cups her face. Kara, to her horror, can feel her heartbeat quickening and a flush coming over her. Panicking, she knocks his hand away, standing up in a quick motion.

"I— I have somewhere to be. Plans with Alex. Gotta go."

Mon-El, looking awkward, watches as she leaps from the building and shoots into the sky.

"'Kay. Bye!"

* * *

"Kara, are you going to talk about what's on your mind, or are you just going to stuff your face with  _my_ potstickers?"

Alex fixes her with a raised brow, watching with judgment as Kara inhales her fifth potsticker in the last ten minutes.

" _Your_ potsticker? Need I remind you which one of us has lasers literally built into her head?" Kara grins, flopping back in the couch as Alex rolls her eyes. "It's nothing, Alex. I just, uh—," she finds herself at a loss for words, scrunching up her nose. "Do you think there's, like,  _any_ possibility that Mon-El is hitting on me? 'Cuz I think he might be. He's been doing this eye thing, lately—"

Alex gives a dramatic sigh, fixing her with a gaze that clearly reads ' _Are you serious?'_ "That guy, Kara, is head over heels obsessed with you, and if you don't see it then you're the only one. That's all I got."

"W-what?" she protests, thoroughly alarmed.  _"Nooo._ No way," she laughs, waving a hand. " _Me_? A Kryptonian?"

"Sure, why not?" Alex asks with a shrug, yanking the blankets up over her knees and situating herself next to Kara. "Hell, the guy even asked Winn and James if you were... 'mated'." She makes a face. "I mean, granted, I don't know how great of a choice Mon-El would be, right now. He acts like..."

"A coward?" Kara finishes, pursing her lips. "Yeahh. I mean— he did well with Parasite, though. And you should have seen how brave he was in the face of the whole Cadmus and Lillian thing. He was willing to just  _die_ so she didn't force me into using my powers. Which, by the way— we still haven't heard a peep from them or what Lillian was plotting with that." Looking troubled, Kara nibbles on the end of another potsticker. "God, why am I even talking about this? Like I'd consider a Daxamite in t-that  _way_."

Alex nods, looking solemn. "Heroism doesn't happen overnight, but I guess he's a messy work in progress."

Kara swallows a large chunk of potsticker before opening her mouth to speak again. "He is," she agrees thoughtfully. "And I think he'll only improve the more we train." Pushing the thoughts aside, she focuses all of her attention on her sister. "How are things with you and Maggie, though?"

Alex fights a smile that's tugging on her lips, but it's infectious and Kara finds herself grinning too. "It's.. great, actually. I know that's.. cheesy, but, she's just amazing, Kara. She's funny, cool, beautiful.." Alex trails off, looking lost in thought, but content.

"So are you," Kara says, giving her a smile. Returning it, Alex leans her head on Kara's shoulder and the two sisters share a hug.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baack. Here's another quick update-- I'm trying to ramp up to longer chapters, but honestly I don't know if that's gonna happen with this particular fic. It's turning out to be a bunch of fluff, lol. I do have another Karamel fic planned that's sort of a supernatural AU, and I plan on that being kind of longer and more serious. But until the first chapter of that is done, here's this. <3

"Kara, wait. Wait, wait, wait," Winn calls, and Kara turns to see him practically skidding around the corner. He rights himself at the last second, almost running straight into a woman in a freshly-ironed business suit. She shoots him a sharp glare as she passes, straightening her lapels.

"Woah, Winn, where's the fire?" Kara piques suspiciously, brows furrowed. She's clutching Miss Grant's fresh coffee in one hand, and knows she has less than five minutes to get it to her office while it's still scalding.

"There's a dog," Winn says nervously, leaning on the wall with one hand and using the other to straighten his tie. "D-dog."

" _What_?" Kara demands, blinking. "Winn, what does that even mean?  _Elaborate_. Y'know, with words?"

"M-Mon-El- Mike- he has a dog. There's a dog in Miss Grant's conference room." The words come out in a rush, and there's a light sheen of sweat beading on his forehead. "I told him not to do it, I swear-"

"He  _adopted_ a dog? Why is it here!?"

Winn throws his hands up, pacing in the other direction, and Kara follows, right on his heels. "He didn't adopt it, okay? He's, uh, ' _dogsitting_ '." He uses air quotations on the last word. The two of them are headed down the corridor, Winn leading her straight towards conference room 2A.

"At  _work_? You've got to be kidding me," Kara hisses, and Winn gives a grimace.

"Good ole Mike, amiright? With the.. non-work appropriate stuff." He gestures to the conference room door, which has a small window big enough to view what's inside.

Kara pushes him aside, peering into the room hastily. There's a small golden retriever pup bounding across the floor and seizing the nearest chair wheel in its jaws. It gnaws excitedly, using its big paws to grasp at the plastic easier.

"He  _really_ did it. He really has a dog in there," Kara sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "He just  _brought a dog_  into Catco Worldwide Media like it's a kennel."

"Uhh-" Winn begins, holding up one finger, but is quickly cut off by Mon-El.

"Oh, hey, guys. I see you've found Wags. He's a wily little rascal, isn't he? If you left him alone, he could probably tear through like five dictionaries-"

"Then  _why_ would you leave him by himself in Cat Grant's conference room?" Kara demands, hands on her hips in a way that's loudly disapproving.

Mon-El's grin fades, and he licks his lips, nodding. "You're mad. I see that now. You told me to always help people, Kara, even if it's just in small ways. So when I met this woman at the coffee shop who needed a dog-sitter-"

"You're not even equipped to take care of a dog!" Kara bursts in disbelief. " _You're_ practically a dog."

" _Waaait_ , does that mean I'm cute?" Mon-El prompts, grinning, and Kara slaps him on the arm.

"Listen, Mon-El- u-uh, I mean Mike- you can't just make decisions like that on a whim, okay? Especially when those decisions involve bringing pets to places they aren't allowed. Now, do you know who this lady is?"

"Um, of  _course_ ," he says indignantly, pulling out his cell phone to bring up his contacts. "Her name is Anne, and every morning at 7:45 A.M. she gets a medium soy latte with a triple shot." He grins. "I know 'cuz I'm there behind her like  _all_ the time."

"Call her  _right now_ ," Kara hisses, stepping hastily in front of the door as a man passes. She recognizes him as Scott, a co-worker she sees at the water cooler sometimes.

"Kara, is everything alright?" he asks, giving a nod towards the conference office.

"E-Everything's great," Kara nods, giving her dopiest smile. "S'good. How are you, Scott? The kids doing well?"

"We're just awesome," Mon-El agrees, clapping an arm around Kara's shoulder.

"I would even say we're doing fantastic," Winn adds, pointing finger guns at Scott as he retreats.

The man laughs, shaking his head as he continues up the hall.

"On that note, I'm getting out of here," Winn says, as soon as he's out of earshot. "I have work to do, and you guys are going to be T-O-A-S-T  _toast_ when Cat sees what you're doing. Toodles."

Walking backwards with a thumbs up, Winn heads in the direction they'd come.

Mon-El gives him a wave. "Bye, buddy!"

"Mon-El, please just call Anne and tell her we need to bring her this dog, okay? I need to take Miss Grant this coffee."

"Aye, aye, cap'n," the Daxamite grins, making a point to hold up his phone and press ' _call_ ' on Anne's number. "Anything you say."

Kara gives him one last suspicious look before heading off after Winn.

* * *

 

"Kiera, is there a reason why this coffee isn't as scalding as  _molten_ lava? Because, if so, I'm waiting to hear it."

Cat Grant's presence is domineering as usual, with her business casual dress and perfectly curled blond hair. She cocks one perfectly plucked eyebrow expectantly.

"N-no," Kara stutters, hastily pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I-I just— Winn had this thing—"

"Stop stammering, you sound like a child. And straighten your blouse; it looks like you were just used as a human speed bump for a particularly nasty truck." She comes around the desk to stand, leaning against it with her arms crossed. "You have exactly twelve minutes to get me another coffee, and I expect it to be 185 degrees Fahrenheit on the dot. If you and Mr. Schott don't start leaving your personal affairs at the door, I'll ruin both of your careers with one snap of my well-moisturized fingers."

"Y-yes, ma'am, of course," Kara nods obediently. Entirely familiar with the drill, she turns immediately, leaving the room at a brisk pace without further instruction.

She's almost to the elevators when Wags, chased closely by Mon-El, comes racing by.

The puppy skids across the floor, slamming into the wall excitedly, and Kara lets out an audible gasp. " _No_ ," she protests, glancing anxiously over her shoulder to see if Miss Grant is watching. The woman is turned, however, facing the flat screen TVs as she sifts through paperwork strewn about her desk. Kara sighs with short-lived relief.

"Mon-El—" she exclaims as the Daxamite suddenly dives for the puppy. He just barely secures his arms around the pup's midsection, struggling to keep him from wiggling free. This garners him even more disgruntled looks from passerbys, and Kara can feel her cheeks burning in embarrassment.

"Nobody panic," Mon-El declares with faux heroism. "I've secured the beast— he can now return to the pits." The puppy struggles against his arms, knocking his glasses askew as he plants kisses on his face.

"Don't joke about that," Kara hisses, flustered. "There aren't  _pits_ here; this isn't Daxam. And get up before Miss Grant sees you."

"Right," Mon-El counters, standing clumsily as he wrestles the squirming puppy. "No pits, no fun. Got it. Hey, are you, uh, waiting on something?"

Kara sets her jaw. "I was going to get coffee for Miss Grant, but I wanted to make sure you weren't going to get thrown out first. C'mon."

When the sliding doors ding open, Kara and Mon-El pile into the elevator, Mon-El bouncing the pup in his arms and humming softly.

"Did she not even give you a leash?" Kara asks in exasperation, but isn't sure if she even wants the answer.

"Oh, you mean that rope-like device? Yeah, I didn't know what that was for. It kept getting tangled up in his legs, so I just took it off."

"My.  _G_ _od_ ," Kara exclaims, laughing in near astonishment. "Have you not opened your eyes and looked around on the streets? A leash is required by  _law_ to walk your pet."

When the elevators open again, Mon-El exits first, Kara close behind him.

"Well, ya know, Kara, believe it or not, it's pretty difficult being an alien on the great planet of Earth." The two of them are at the street corner now, and the dog is fighting Mon-El's grasp more and more. "Especially when you commit to dog-based charity just to be a bigger help, and it just gets thrown back in your face."

Kara groans. "Jesus, just.. just take this woman her dog back. I have coffee to pick up."

"Um, who peed in your Cheer-os?" the Daxamite calls after her as she turns to leave.

"It's Cheerios," she shouts back.

* * *

It's three o'clock when Kara takes a call from J'onn, asking her to meet at the D.E.O. after work. She manages to weasel out of Miss Grant's grasp quickly enough to leave Catco around 4:30, zipping to the D.E.O. as soon as she can.

"You wanted to see me, J'onn?" she asks, approaching the briefing room in full suit.

"I did. We've caught wind of a... problem you should be aware of. Someone tipped us off about an illegal facility that might be running experiments with government secrets to try and.. well, recreate certain scenarios in which meta-humans are created." Making a few selections on the computer, he pulls up the profile of a sunken-cheeked teenage girl with hollow, dark eyes and matted brown hair. "Our sources claim the organization might be.. advertising themselves to troubled teens as some sort of appeal to young folks who they think might not have much to lose. This girl right here— her name is Monica Gresham. We've had reports of her showing.. unnatural abilities, and were thinking that maybe Supergirl might be the best candidate to talk to her first. We don't want to scare her- just ask her a couple of questions."

Kara nods, crossing her arms. "Of course, just.. tell me where I need to go and I'm on it."

J'onn casts his gaze downwards as he flicks off the presentation from the main monitor. "Well, Monica, she.. Like I said, they seem to be preying on troubled teens. You can probably find her at a bar downtown called 'The Spades'. There's sometimes... activity, down there."

Just as Kara is about to respond, Mon-El's voice interjects. "Are they smoking the, uh, good ole maroojawanna?" he asks, slapping a hand on the counter as he approaches. A cup of pens on the edge of the desk tips, and then crashes onto the floor. "Oops. Sorry— Uh, I just overheard you guys on my way back to my quarters—"

"Mon-El, why don't you go with Kara?" J'onn asks suddenly, to which the two of them both look confused at.

" _What_?" Kara demands, her features a mix of both surprise and genuine concern at the prospect. "I mean— sure. Sure, I guess. He does need more exposure to this kind of thing, if he's going to be a hero—"

"Um, me? At a bar with Supergirl?" I was practically born in a bar. Bring it on, J'onn." He grins, glancing at Kara. "See? That rhymed—"

"Enough," Kara says, but the corner of her mouth twitches up in the beginnings of a smile. "Let's get going, Mon-El. I need you ready in ten minutes."

"Is it still 'calling shotgun' if we're actually just jumping over buildings and flying?"


End file.
